Tyler & Randy
Tyler (Age 31)
randy (Age 40)
new paltz, new york
married / TOGETHER 3 YEARS
OCCUPATION: FLORAL COMPANY OWNERS
TWIN FLAMES
Tyler and Randy are commonly recognized around town as “those gay florists” from their matching outfits, the company’s social media videos and their bubbly, intertwined personalities. They can usually be spotted in matching sweaters in their shared car (singular) and ordering matching cosmopolitans at happy hour after a long day arranging bouquets. But what people are shocked to learn is that no, they’re not actually twin brothers…they’re HUSBANDS!
Tyler styles his short, dirty blonde hair off to the side and gelled up in the front. Randy styles his short, dirty blonde hair off to the side and gelled up in the front. Tyler has light eyebrows. Randy has light eyebrows. Tyler is clean shaven. Randy is clean shaven. The two of them dress in the same clothes from Express. They finish each other’s sentences. They adopt each other’s sayings. They both have the same cheesy smile and infectious giggle – a combination that instantly warms even the coldest heart. And on top of it all, they never leave each other’s side. They admit that they don’t think that they’ve been apart for more than a couple days since they met. The two of them take “attached at the hip” to a new level. They haven’t been apart in the four years that have passed since they met! It helps that Tyler and Randy share everything: clothes, bank accounts, their ONE car…even their business.
Randy and Tyler met in October 2019 while they were both wrapped up in other (failing) relationships. Tyler was the loud, overbearing and nosy bartender at the bar across from the hotel that Randy worked in. Randy and his ex-boyfriend frequented the bar often and when Randy’s ex stepped up from the table, Randy and Tyler would just vent to each other about how awful their respective boyfriends were.
A mutual friend witnessed their flirtatious and budding romance and planned to get them together. They planned a group dinner, and “coincidentally” everyone invited had to cancel at the last minute…after Randy and Tyler had already arrived.
Randy and Tyler knew from that first set up “date” that they were destined for each other. From there they just had to figure out how to leave their current partners. When that finally happened, they moved in with each other only one month after meeting! A month after that, engaged, and the following month, married. That’s a whirlwind three months from dating, to moving in to getting engaged to getting married! They married during the pandemic and had a small ceremony. Some friends and family felt jilted and contend that the couple actually got “married in secret,” because they were not invited and only heard about the wedding after the fact… It’s true that Randy and Tyler each have family members who aren’t supportive of their relationship, so it’s difficult to include them in their lives.
Neither Tyler or Randy are in touch with either of their exes. Randy was married to his ex, a Latino man who he fell in love with, which he later learned was just using him for a green card. Randy then went through a terrible divorce and is no longer in contact with his ex. Tyler discovered that his ex was cheating on him and that was the last straw. He broke up the relationship and that person is no longer in Tyler’s life.
Tyler’s family, specifically Tyler’s older sister Renae believes that Randy is hiding a big secret. They’re not sure what it is, but he’s cagey about his past, his family and his previous relationships. Renae, Tyler’s oldest sister, doesn’t know for sure but thinks that Randy might have previously been married to a woman that no one has met. Renae can’t imagine why Randy wouldn’t be forthcoming about that part of his life. Or, it could it simply be that Renae is trying to stir the pot and make up rumors?
The two are co-owners of TK Wedding Designs, a luxury floral business adorning the upstate New York social scene with their own unique brand of luscious “garden glam.” Tyler is the creative and Randy is the books and brains behind the operation. Although they’re wildly in love doesn’t mean that they don’t bicker and workplace drama and chaos isn’t common place. Tyler is the messy one, always forgetting to tidy up after himself and running around with his head cut off according to the event of the day! Randy on the other hand is neat and organized, and will always be the one to follow behind his husband, ever-so- “lovingly” cleaning up his messes. The couple works with another couple who is usually the “buffer” when they bicker.
It was Tyler who originally pushed the idea of becoming florists and opening a floral company. Before Tyler was a bartender he worked as a florist as it was always his passion. Tyler loves making floral arrangements as it’s truly his, “happy place.” During the time that Tyler and Randy were together Randy was working as a manager of a hotel. Tyler would beg Randy to please let them open a floral business. The sensible and risk-averse Randy always said, “someday, but now isn’t the right time financially.” It came to a head when Randy was let go from his job because of companywide layoffs. Randy had no other options but to trust Tyler and go on a leap of faith.
So, the couple went in on a business loan together, and made the leap to open a floral business. It’s Tyler’s love and passion, but it’s unclear if Randy is truly as invested as Tyler is.
Tyler notices that Randy can get upset easily and will explode over the littlest thing. It’s clear that Randy and Tyler’s entire livelihood is entangled in the business; so as much as it’s “fun,” they aren’t playing games. This is their life and their future and if they don’t take it seriously, there is no future or foundation for the couple to build from. Beyond the constant pressure to always deliver for their clients, both Randy and Tyler put pressure on themselves to constantly be improving and expanding their business. The pressure to succeed and to maintain their business creates animosity in their relationship that they have to navigate.
Renae is skeptical of the floral business. Renae is unsure that Randy has the business acumen to run a successful business. She knows for a fact that her brother is way too flighty to run a business. He can be creative, but that doesn’t mean he can make money. She’s noticed that they have a habit of taking on too many events and get in over their head, and when they do they call her to help. She comes to the rescue, but all the while she’s frustrated with their lack of planning and organization.
It’s no secret that when Randy and Tyler first got together, they moved fast. Too fast if you ask their family and friends. It was insane to everyone that these two, after both being in separate long-term relationships, felt so strongly so instantly that they needed to spend every second together and on top of that, be married. While their friends have come around to the idea of Tyler and Randy becoming the unit “Tyler and Randy,” their relationships with their families have seen better days.
In particular, Tyler’s relationship with his family has always been strained, ever since he came out at 13 years old. His relationship with his younger sister Nicole has been completely cut off after Tyler married Randy. Not only does she not believe in gay marriage, but she’s firm in her belief that they moved way too fast. Tyler has a tense relationship with his parents who aren’t supportive of their incredibly close relationship. Tyler’s parents refuse to treat Randy as anything more than a “friend.” They didn’t even attend the wedding. Naturally, this is incredibly hurtful to Tyler who simply wants to be loved and accepted for who he is and who he loves. He wants to be able to mend his relationship with his family.
Tyler’s hopes that his even-tempered, oldest sister Renae can be the one to extend the olive branch and bring the family together. Renae is “Switzerland” and the most neutral person in Tyler’s family. That being said, Renae has a lot to say as it relates to her little brother. She thinks that Tyler and Randy moved way to fast, and ever since they got together have projected a false and idealized picture-perfect image of their relationship. They skipped the building of the foundation of the relationship and immediately skipped ahead to “fairytale,” “everything is perfect” status… especially online. Renae thinks that it’s all a façade. She thinks that they moved too fast and they don’t know who they are as a couple, and they don’t know who they are as individuals. She thinks if you strip away the business and the pretty photos, that there is very little holding the relationship together.
Renae thinks that they need to go to counseling and really address the reasons WHY they are in a relationship. Renae says that Tyler has a history of going from relationship to relationship and she doesn’t want to see history repeat itself and have her brother’s heart broken.
Tyler thinks that Renae is the person to build bridges between the family groups and bring everyone back together. Without full acceptance of those around them, Tyler and Randy’s relationship with each other will always be missing the familial element that they both value so strongly. Randy’s parents don’t necessarily see eye-to-eye with Randy and Tyler, and that is a relationship that Randy wants to nurture as well. Renae has flat out said that as long as Tyler and Randy are together, mom and dad are only going to be accepting to a point and he will have to accept that or move on.
In addition to navigating complicated family drama, Tyler and Randy are working towards expanding their family and their future. Both men want to move out of their apartment and purchase a home within the next year. They also want to have children and either adopt or go through a surrogate. They’re working towards and hoping for the picture-perfect life that includes children and a happy home. In order to achieve their dream, they need to save and earn money, which means their business needs to succeed. They are doing well enough, but they are only as good as their last wedding and event.
Potential Storylines:
Navigating and expanding their floral business and the pressure and toll that it takes on their relationship
Randy and Tyler want a home and potentially to adopt children
Randy and Tyler mending bridges with their unaccepting and dramatic family’s
Randy’s mysterious past relationships and family background
Renae wants to take Randy and Tyler hunting with her husband